{noun} a modern self-coined term used to describe the identity of an Indian Catholic Christian whose ancestry is from the Malabar coast of the Indian subcontinent. The two factors - geographic and religious are the identifying traits of this community as opposed to a common language, skin color, etc. Therefore “East Indian” is not an ethnic group (like African-American, Mongols, Mayans, Nepali, Nordic, Dravidian, etc) which can be separated from the rest of the Indian population on the basis of a specific DNA halogroup. However recent trends of migration to countries like Portugal & rest of Europe, Canada and adoption of foreign citizenship of those countries has shed the Indian identity (passport) for these people but retaining the Catholic Christian identity. Hence it is suitable to describe the “East Indian” as Catholic Christians from the Indian Malabar (west) Coast.

{adjective} relating to the East Indies of Caribbean.

Librarian: Hi. Can I help you?

Anthropology major: Yes, I’m looking for information on the East Indians. I’m going to do my project on that and take my East-Indian room-mate to class as a demo piece. Awesome huh?

Librarian: West Indian and East Indian or just East Indian?

Anthropology major: Umm it’s East Indians as in the red dot Indians. Asian. From India. You know what I mean?

Librarian: Oh yeah! We’ve got books on that. Introduction to East Indian Architecture, East Indian philosophy, Ancient sanitation systems of the East Indians, History of East Indian Maritime, Famous East Indian Explorers, Collection of East Indian proverbs, East Indian Script………….which one would you like?

Anthropology major: Uhh do you have anything in general like an introduction to East Indian culture maybe?

Librarian: I was just kidding. We don’t have any. My boyfriend has a European trance-techno magazine he bought from ebay. On the cover is “Goa is the mother of all psychedelic destinations. Who’s your German daddy?”